South Australian cycling icon Stuart O’Grady announced as new Tour Down Under race director

New Tour Down Under race director Stuart O’Grady has spoken candidly about his 1998 doping blemish, and the lessons taken from it, after being announced as successor to Mike Turtur on Tuesday.

New Tour Down Under Race Director Stuart O'Grady pictured at Victoria Square, Adelaide on Tuesday 3 December 2019. It has been announced that Stuart O'Grady is taking over the role from Mike Turtur. (AAP Image/Sam Wundke)

• Lucky to be alive: Brain surgery saves Aussie track cycling coach
• How to get the most out of your Advertiser digital subscription

The SANTOS Tour Down Under’s new race director Stuart O’Grady said a doping blemish when professional cycling was rampant with EPO was a lesson learned.

O’Grady in 2013 admitted to taking EPO, or Erythropoietin, in 1998 before retiring.

The hormone is naturally produced by the kidneys, but can be artificially produced to improve athletes’ performance by injection.

The inaugural 1999 Tour Down Under winner O’Grady, 46, was on Tuesday confirmed as the second race director in history, taking the mantle from Mike Turtur after The Advertiser revealed he was in the box seat to win the job.

“I learned from my mistake,’’ O’Grady said.

“Cycling at that time was a very different era to be in.

“It was a very bad judgment on my behalf, but what I have learned from then, I think I was only a pro for a few years before then.

Stream over 50 sports live and on demand with KAYO SPORTS. Just $25/month, no lock-in contract. Get your 14-day free trial and start streaming instantly.

New Tour Down Under race director Stuart O'Grady (centre) with Events SA executive director Hitaf Rasheed (left) and Tourism Minister David Ridgway. Picture: AAP Image/Sam Wundke

“For the next 16 years I led by example and there’s a reason why my career went for 19 years.

“I was trying to prove, to not only myself, but everyone that was in my team - the younger guys around me like Matt Goss, the Schlecks (Frank and Andy) - that if you do the hard work... I was taking on a leadership role in that area and making sure no-one around me ventured down that (doping) avenue.

“I think globally every sport, it’s a lot better than what it was 20 years ago, there’s more information.

“There’s better coaches, there’s better people around you, there’s better support if you’re in a hard spot.

“None of that was available 20-odd years ago.

“So, it’s fantastic the sport has got better and better each year and the supporters and people can see that.

“Cycling will never go away, it’s just going to get stronger and stronger.”

Stuart O'Grady fronts the media at today’s announcement. Picture: AAP Image/Sam Wundke

O’Grady started his first day at work on Tuesday and will be ‘coached’ by Turtur during his final Tour Down Under event as the boss next month.

The pair will again work in tandem in 2021 when O’Grady will become the outright race director.

O’Grady said he had some big shoes to fill after Turtur brought a cycling dream to life in SA in 1999.

MORE NEWS

From brink of death to Olympic gold dreams

Para-cyclist vies for Olympics berth

The Kieran Modra interview I will never forget

“The Tour Down Under is part of my upbringing and I’d like to think I was part of the growth of the Tour Down Under during the early days to where it is now,’’ he said.

“I’m really proud and passionate and I really want to continue and hopefully I can bring in some new ideas and I guess different strategies to maintain this event and keep it as the No. 1 cycling event in this country.”

Events SA executive director Hitaf Rasheed said there was a huge number of first-class Australian candidates for the race director’s job, but O’Grady was the most outstanding leader for the SA role.

Outgoing race director Mike Turtur. Picture: AAP Image/ Brenton Edwards

Tourism Minister David Ridgway said O’Grady’s appointment was endorsed by cycling’s world governing body UCI president David Lappartient and Gerry Ryan - part owner and founder of Australia’s Mitchelton–Scott men's professional cycling team.

O’Grady was a key figuring in attracting some of the biggest names in the cycling world before the event earned UCI WorldTour status in 2008.

And the new race director’s gig won’t be his first as he is also boss of Revolve24 - a 24-hour endurance cycling challenge held at The Bend Motorsport Park, Tailem Bend.

O’Grady raced at every Tour Down Under except for two events before retiring.

He won gold at the 2004 Athens Games, raced in six Olympic Games, competed at 17 Tour de France stage races and was the first Australian to win Paris-Roubaix in 2007.

He won four Tour de France stages also wearing the coveted yellow jersey for a total of nine days plus winning the Australian race twice (1999 and 2001).

Originally published as South Australian cycling icon Stuart O’Grady announced as new Tour Down Under race director